New study schedule after terrible 1st LSAT try/open for suggestions

jennilynn89

Hi 7Sagers,

I'm looking to get some input from you all. The community here is amazing, so I'm looking forward to some great suggestions.
To give you a little background on my situation:
I took the December LSAT (been scoring in the low-to mid 150s and should have probably not taken it either way, since my goal score is in the 160s) and got a devastating score in the low 140s.
Before this I had been studying for about 5-6 months, with 2-3 months intense study (quit my job the last two months to dedicate time to a big move and my LSAT studies). I've studied with the LSAT trainer and all three Powerscore books and took about 20 PTs total.

I took off some time to mentally recuperate from this disappointment, decided to pick the books back up and study for the June LSAT. I just purchased the Manhattan LR book, because I've heard some better reviews on this compared to the Powerscore books and I need some fresh material.
LG is my strength, LR is pretty much hit or miss, and RC is too. I'd really like to get to a point where I'm getting close to -1 or -2 in LG (I was at around -3 or -4 at my best) and strengthen my LR skills to improve in that department as well. I've kind of given up on RC and am going to focus on my time management mainly to get through all passages and score points that way.

Now I'm wondering if a June LSAT will be feasible to reach my 160s goal, or if I should give myself some more time and rather shoot for September? I'm also not sure how to get back into studying, as I'm finding myself easily discouraged/unmotivated when I try to get back into it. Any suggestions on this? I know it's mental laziness and I probably just need to get it back together. I now work a full-time 8-5 job.
Also, should I still focus on basic skills and revisit lectures and books to strengthen those, or should I mainly focus on PT's and PT BR from here on out? I'm not sure how to attack this, but I know I have to do it differently this time around.

Thanks!
Jennifer

runiggyrun

Welcome to the forums! Now seeing how this is 7Sage and it's full of people that have been greatly helped by the 7Sage curriculum, I'm going to go ahead and recommend signing up for that (even the Starter package includes all the lessons, it just has fewer problem sets and included PT explanations). JY makes things very clear and simple, and builds skills from the ground up, especially for LR and LG where a thorough command of conditional logic is very important for achieving a high score.
With a score in the 140's (even with a score in the low 150's which was your PT average) there's a lot of improvement to be made in the fundamentals, so I wouldn't touch any of the newer PT's (past 40) until you've gone through the curriculum, drills and problem sets. PT's are precious, and you want to make sure you have the fundamentals down before you go back to them.
Unfortunately, I think it's not very likely that you'll reach your desired score by June - it's probably just about enough time to go through the curriculum and get started on PT's. You can mentally plan for September, but I think it's a good idea to take the test when you're ready rather than decide that you're ready because you've scheduled a test.
There are also a lot of webinars with strategies for each section and general LSAT strategies that are available to members - these are things that worked for people just like us, not something that a preptest company dreamed up in a vacuum, so I think they are an invaluable resource as well.
Good luck!

Cant Get Right

Sign up with 7Sage. Delay until September, and don’t burn any more PTs until you’ve gone through the 7Sage curriculum. Basically, what @runiggyrun said. As for motivating yourself, I always find Survivor helpful and AC/DC too depending on how I’m feeling. Beethoven’s 7th also gets me pumped up for some reason. Everybody’s got to find their thing I guess. Go for a run or something. It may sound silly, but a little pump up music and exercise can do wonders.
Give ‘em hell.

stepharizona

@jennilynn89 said:
Also, should I still focus on basic skills and revisit lectures and books to strengthen those,

Yes, absolutely focus on your fundamentals and take your time. There is no reason to rush into a test when you're not ready.

7Sage curriculum is great and may add some clarity that you are missing. If you are tight on funds and cant add 7Sage yet, go back through the LG bible and LSAT trainer and work on games. They are by far the easiest area that you can improve. The 7Sage game explanations are also free. Use some of the early prep tests to drill that. Then once you have the funds for 7 Sage, work through the full curriculum.

Micaela_OVO

PT scores in the mid to low 150s usually mean a weakness in fundamentals, so definitely go back through the Trainer, or even better- sign up for 7Sage and supplement with the Trainer. Make sure your fundamentals are solid before touching PTs again. Take as much time as you need to fully grasp the material. Many of us regret rushing through the course to get to the PTs. Hence why many of us have had to go back through the course a second or third time. I would bank on September. You'll even have December if you need it.

Did you BR the previous 20 tests you took? If so, what were your BR scores? If they were drastically higher than your timed score (high 160s, low 170s), you need to focus on timing.

As far as RC, you CAN improve. I promise. RC is my kryptonite, but I'm slowly improving. Find a notation system that works for you. Drill RC passages. Learn to anticipate what the LSAC is going to ask at the end of the passage- main point, author's view/tone, opposing views, structure of passage, etc). Constantly ask questions while you're reading to keep yourself engaged and interested.

I also work 8-5. Since I have a desk job and study all evening (obviously not very active), I work out in the mornings. It definitely helps me stay energized and focused. I do some games or even a full LR or RC section during my lunch breaks. I listen to Economist podcasts when I can. Then I study 3-4 hours in the evenings.

As far as motivation, I'll share what I did. I printed out Mike Kim's quote "The best way to ensure success is to deserve it." I put it above my computer at work and above my desk at home back in August when I started studying. These long hours and months we put in will be worth it. You have to constantly remind yourself that.

jennilynn89

Thank you all for your thoughtful input!

@runiggyrun I am definitely planning on purchasing the 7Sage curriculum, I've heard wonderful things! Thank you for your suggestions!

@Can'tGetRight thanks for the suggestions! I started working out a lot more, and started practicing more mindfulness exercises. I'll add some music to amp me up to it, and hopefully the motivation will come with that!

@stepharizona thanks for your comment! I am a little tight on funds, so i'm thinking about purchasing the 7Sage 3 months schedule and expanding to the 6 months one later, or saving up for it and probably just going to shoot for the September LSAT.

@Micaela_OVO Thank you for all your input!! These are really great suggestions! I did BR on probably 12 of my 20 PTs. My BR scrores varied from around mid-150s (if I had a low 150 score for the timed test) to low 160s. I usually gained around 4-10 points doing BR. Thanks for those RC tips. I do need to figure out what notation techniques for best for me. I either don't do enough, or do too many and lose time. I have yet to gain enough speed reading, noting, and answering all questions in time on all passages. I usually end up a passage short, or only get through about half of it.
I absolutely love that Mike Kim quote, and I might just steal your idea and do the same thing Do you study 3-4 hours every evening, or focus more study time on the weekends? I started studying around August/September of last year and clearly did not hone in on my fundamentals well enough, so I want to ensure to get a true grasp on everything this time around. I also found myself getting burned out toward the end of my studies, when I studied every single day, taking maybe a day off during the week.

Micaela_OVO

I study 3-4 hours on weekdays and around 6 hours on Saturdays and Sundays. However, back when I was registered for December, I was definitely heading towards burn out. I would go to a coffee shop right after work and stay until midnight/1 most nights. I wasn't doing anything besides work and LSAT. It was rough. I wouldn't recommend that to anyone who works full time while studying for this beast. Once I realized I wouldn't reach my goal in time, I withdrew from December and reevaluated my study schedule. I am so happy I made that decision.

Since then, I've focused more on the quality of the studying I'm getting in. I've revisited the Trainer and went over the lessons I was still shaky on in the 7Sage curriculum. I did the Foolproof Method for logic games 1-35 and recorded all my data. I'm constantly going back over games that gave me trouble so I can keep those skills fresh. Right now, RC is the only thing holding me back. I'm seeing my biggest gains in that section when I force myself to stay engaged with the passage by asking questions while I read. I highly suggest that if you haven't tried it!

Best of luck with your studies!! Print out that Mike Kim quote. It really does help Hope to see you on a BR call one of these days.

Alejandro

@Micaela_OVO just stole you're idea

inactive

Everyone's already added helpful advice so I'll just add this: If you want to start on a lower package, you can pick it up and upgrade in the future and only pay the difference.

Email me when you do so I can add the extra months you would've received while purchasing outright since upgrading only gives you +1 month per upgrade level.

jennilynn89

@"Dillon A. Wright" Thank you for your input! I was planning on purchasing the lower package once my next paycheck hits, and then upgrading gradually. I do have a question for you. If I get the lower package, does that change the overall study curriculum/study plan? I checked a little while ago and saw that there seem to be different plans for the different upgrades? Some incorporate more hours of studying over the course of a week, and some less.

@Micaela_OVO sounds like you have a really intense study schedule! Are you planning on taking the June LSAT? I am going to try and start with a couple hours a week to ease myself back into a regular study schedule and then increase the volume of study time the closer I get to June or perhaps September. Thank you again for your helpful insight! It's hard getting back into the game after such a big disappointment. I am definitely planning on joining those BR sessions as soon as I'm ready!

inactive

No problem!

@jennilynn89 said:
If I get the lower package, does that change the overall study curriculum/study plan?

Nope! The course is the same throughout each package. The only differences are:

-Amount of PTs included in each course
-Amount of Problem Sets in each course (Starter gets the easiest, whereas Ultimate+ has the hardest)
-Amount of time included in each course
-Access to the Question Bank, with Ultimate+ having full access to PTs 1-77

Micaela_OVO

@jennilynn89 Yes, shooting for June! If for some reason I don't score within a few points of what I was PTing, I'll take September too.

Easing back into it is a great idea. I took a few weeks off after withdrawing from the December test. I definitely needed that; I felt refreshed and ready to give it my all again. A lot of people see improvements on their PTs after taking some time off (true for me, as well). Burnout is no joke!

stepharizona

@"Dillon A. Wright" said:
If you want to start on a lower package, you can pick it up and upgrade in the future and only pay the difference.

Woah, that's awesome and great deal! @"Dillon A. Wright" I always didn't upgrade to the next package because it only added a month so I either added test or months to extend my time. I just added 9months a few days ago as I am not sure if I will go for June or Sept and didn't want to run out before scores got returned.

inactive

@stepharizona said:
I just added 9months a few days ago as I am not sure if I will go for June or Sept and didn't want to run out before scores got returned.

I just upgrade you to Premium for free since you've purchased so many extensions/PTs.

stepharizona

@"Dillon A. Wright" said:
just upgrade you to Premium for free since you've purchased so many extensions/PTs.

Woah, cool thanks you @"Dillon A. Wright" did have to do that but I'll take it! Haha who me... extend? Its quite an accomplishment getting a Starter to nearly 18 months haha! Still dont know why I didnt buy every single PT last April when the blow out happened... oh thats right I thought I'd be done studying!! I'll be done for sure by December this year for sure.... or I'm going to go retire to a cave.... never to be heard from again!

inactive

@stepharizona said:
I'll be done for sure by December this year for sure